A search was launched on Monday evening for an overdue vessel.

The alarm was raised shortly before 9 pm after the Operations Room of HM Coastguard, Milford Haven, received a call from an anxious friend.

The person stated that a husband and wife had left Freshwater East in their 21-foot Bayliner Sports cruiser boat named Lee Ann and were three hours overdue in their return.

Immediately, a full scale search was instigated involving Tenby and Manorbier Coastguard Rescue Teams and both Tenby RNLI's all-weather lifeboat and the inshore vessel.

The coastguard teams concentrated on a cliff-top observation search, while the lifeboat searched the coves and beaches from Tenby to Freshwater East.

As daylight faded, the lifeboat found the vessel aground on Broad Haven South Beach with both occupants safe.

The coastguard teams went to the beach and the occupants decided they would stay with the vessel until the tide was able to re-float the boat.

This incident had a happy ending, but the people on the vessel had no means of communication, no emergency equipment to attract attention i.e., radio flares etc., only a mobile with no signal.

Advised Angela Smith, of Milford Haven Coatguard: "If going out on a vessel, no matter how short the journey, it is advisable to carry at least one piece of emergency equipment - flares, a whistle or more importantly a VHF radio.

"This can be either fixed to the vessel or a hand-held type; the models now even have a GPS function. Don't take risks, not everyone is lucky to be found or manages to get out of potentially dangerous situations."